


What's in a Name?

by CloversDreams



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: A few months after the events of the show, Drinking, First Kiss, M/M, Pet Names, and domestic, honestly its too soft, light-hearted banter, someone call the fluff police, theyre living their best lives, theyre so Soft, two bros hanging in a bookshop cause theyre in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-05
Packaged: 2020-04-08 08:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19103413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloversDreams/pseuds/CloversDreams
Summary: Crowley made himself comfortable on the couch while Aziraphale grabbed a pair of wine glasses. Not just a pair, but ratherthepair. A few decades ago he’d been walking by a shop with some delightful etched glass pieces in the window. He couldn’t really say what had drawn him to the wine glasses per se, but he’d ended up going in and buying a set. Naturally, it had to be a pair because he didn’t usually drink alone.Aziraphale handed Crowley the glass with the fancy C etched onto it. He looked down at the one left in his hand with the fancy A upon it. He couldn’t help but wonder just what had compelled him to buy such things. Though he was quite fond of them now so he supposed it didn’t really matter. He sat down on the couch and waited for Crowley to fill up his own glass before he held out the one in his hand. Once the demon finished pouring they both muttered a soft ‘cheers’ then took a sip.





	What's in a Name?

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to E for yell-crying with me about this series literally since it dropped and spamming me with just as much content for the pair as I do her X3

 

It was a miserable day outside. It had been storming since Aziraphale awoke that morning. Part of him had hoped it might clear up, but it had only gotten worse. He supposed that was why no one had stopped by the shop today. He couldn’t help but wonder if he should just close up early and enjoy the rest of his afternoon alone since no one was crazy enough to be out in such weather. Just as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the familiar sound of the bell above the shop door jingle. OK so maybe there was one person crazy enough to come around.

He looked up from the book he held and smiled, prepared to greet the customer. His forced smile melted into a real one when he saw a familiar demon instead. Soaked from head to toe, Crowley frowned and mumbled incoherent nonsense about rain being the worst. Aziraphale’s expression softened and he had to hold back a chuckle as he said, “You look like a drenched cat.”

“Very funny. You gonna help out or just sit there?” Crowley asked.

Aziraphale supposed he should do something before the guy shook all the water off of himself like a dog and got the books around him wet too. He wouldn’t put it past a demon. He waved his hand and in the blink of an eye Crowley was completely dry. One never would’ve guessed that he’d just been outside in that awful downpour. He watched the demon nod and pat himself down as he inspected his dry outfit. Aziraphale continued to smile as he asked, “What brings you around on such a lovely day?”

“Ohh, was that a joke? Aren’t you in a good mood?” Crowley practically laughed. He held up both hands then a bottle of wine and box of chocolates appeared in them. A devilish smirk spread across his face as he waved the tempting items back and forth and added, “Found myself in a certain mood. What do you say, angel? Feel like closing up a bit early?”

There was a moment that Aziraphale swore he felt his heart flutter. Of course that was ridiculous because he wasn’t some silly human that was susceptible to such things, so he’d clearly imagined it. He did notice that the chocolates in question happened to be his favorite kind, a specialty they didn’t sell outside of a certain shop in France. Had he not been tempted to take him up on the offer a moment ago that certainly would’ve done it.

He made an intrigued sound and went over to lock the door and flip the closed sign. While he didn’t expect anyone else to show up in such a storm, it was better to be safe than sorry. He turned towards Crowley and motioned for him to lead the way. The demon knew his way around the shop just as well as he did.

He followed his companion to the back room. Crowley made himself comfortable on the couch while Aziraphale grabbed a pair of wine glasses. Not just a pair, but rather _the_ pair. A few decades ago he’d been walking by a shop with some delightful etched glass pieces in the window. He couldn’t really say what had drawn him to the wine glasses per se, but he’d ended up going in and buying a set. Naturally, it had to be a pair because he didn’t usually drink alone.

Aziraphale handed Crowley the glass with the fancy C etched onto it. He looked down at the one left in his hand with the fancy A upon it. He couldn’t help but wonder just what had compelled him to buy such things. Though he was quite fond of them now so he supposed it didn’t really matter. He sat down on the couch and waited for Crowley to fill up his own glass before he held out the one in his hand. Once the demon finished pouring they both muttered a soft ‘cheers’ then took a sip.

Their conversation shifted to something or other about the weather. Aziraphale didn’t really know what they were talking about. He was way too busy watching Crowley as he spoke. The guy was so expressive and moved nearly all his limbs when he got excited, almost as if he was still not used to having them. Aziraphale had to admit that tickled him just a bit. He found himself having to lift his drink to his mouth so he didn’t laugh in the middle of their conversation for seemingly no reason. He’d have no way to explain it.

He opened the chocolates and ate one then let out a soft hum of delight. There really was nothing quite like the silky-smooth treats. He turned towards Crowley to offer him one as well but the demon shook his head. More for him, then. He finished off his drink then nodded thanks as Crowley refilled his empty glass. Silence had fallen between them and it was rather nice. Sometimes they just sat quietly together but it was generally short lived because a certain demon sure did love to hear himself talk. Not that Aziraphale considered that a bad thing. He liked to listen to the wild tales. A gripping story was one of his favorite things, after all.

Not to mention there was something about Crowley’s voice that he found to be comforting. Perhaps it was simply that it was the one constant in his life for the past six thousand years. Aziraphale didn’t really know. He decided it was better not to dwell on the subject. There was a chance that his mind could wander to thoughts it had no business wandering to if he did. Yellow eyes flicked towards him and he jumped. He brought his wine glass to his face and quickly looked away then muttered into it, “So, I was considering getting a pet. Something to brighten the shop up a bit. What do you think about that?”

“A shop pet? Is that a thing?” Crowley wondered as he refilled his own drink. He tossed his head back and finished it in a few large gulps. He’d already started to pour the next before he’d gotten a response.

“I don’t see why it couldn’t be,” Aziraphale mumbled.

“What kind of pet?” Crowley had to ask. It was vital to whether or not he was on board with the idea.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure. Though I do know that I want you to get along with it since you frequent the shop.” Aziraphale nodded to himself as he thought about it. He was lost in his own thoughts for a moment. Once he snapped out of it he finally asked, “How about something like an iguana? Or perhaps a snake?”

Crowley let his head loll to the side so that he faced the angel. He looked at Aziraphale over the rim of his glasses. There was no need for him to voice his disapproval with a pout like that upon his face accompanied by an unblinking stare. Those were clearly not the kinds of pets he’d approve of.

“A cat, then?” Aziraphale asked, a bit more hopeful about the suggestion. He’d been leaning towards something soft anyway. Customers would enjoy a soft pet wandering around.

Crowley scrunched his face and turned his head so he was facing forward once more. He didn’t seem very interested as he replied, “That’s slightly better but not great.”

“What would you suggest? A hellhound?” Aziraphale scoffed. He rolled his eyes at the silly suggestion.

Crowley held up his glass and nodded. “Not a bad idea. I can probably make a few calls and–”

“Don’t!” Aziraphale exclaimed before he could even finish the thought. Joke or not, he had to put a stop to that before a certain demon got carried away. It wouldn’t be the first time and he knew it wouldn’t be the last. Better to nip that in the bud while he still could. They both finished off their drinks and then refilled their glasses.

“What would I even name a hellhound, anyway?” The question wasn’t meant to be answered, but to show the ridiculousness of the situation. Of all the creatures they’d come across since the beginning, that seemed like the least sensible idea. Heck, there were some species that were now extinct which would be more appropriate.

Crowley shrugged and replied, “Oh, I dunno… something along the lines of Bob, I’d guess.”

Aziraphale couldn’t help but snicker softly at that. He wiggled where he sat and smiled as he said, “Bob the hellhound.”

“Bob the hellhound,” Crowley repeated with an amused smirk of his own as he watched the silly angel out of the corner of his eye.

“I rather like the sound of that,” Aziraphale admitted. Though he was certain that was obvious by the amused look upon his face.

Crowley laughed softly at his response. The sound was warm and comforting, not at all something one would expect from a demon, yet it had always been that way when it came to this particular one. It wrapped itself around Aziraphale like a lovely hug. It was a feeling he didn’t mind being completely engulfed in. He stiffened at the thought. That was hardly appropriate. He decided it best to ignore it and continue on.

They drank until they both found themselves a bit tipsy. Everything was funnier and they were a lot more inclined to agree with each other’s silly ramblings. Perhaps the most dangerous part of it was the fact that being tipsy seemed to get rid of that wall in Aziraphale’s mind where he kept the thoughts he knew to be wrong at bay. His mind was swimming with all kinds of things. It was difficult to focus on just one thought. However, there was a particular idea that was the loudest and most frequent one rattling around his head.

“Hey, Crowley?” Aziraphale hummed and glanced at the demon out of the corner of his eye.

“Yes, angel?” Crowley replied without hesitation.

Silence followed that. It was a necessary moment for Aziraphale to attempt to understand that weird flutter in his gut. It was such a strange thing. It only ever seemed to pop up when Crowley called him by that nickname. That just raised further questions. Aziraphale furrowed his brow and asked the one thing he’d been wanting to know for quite some time, “Tell me, do you ever call me that out of affection or is it the equivalent of me calling you ‘demon’?”

“Depends on the situation, I suppose,” Crowley replied. He frowned as he shook the wine bottle he held upside down only to find it completely empty. He tossed it over his shoulder without a care. Then he held out his hand and a new bottle appeared in it. Their third of the afternoon.

Aziraphale blinked a few times. He tried to process things but still found that he needed further clarification. He couldn’t escape the curiosity now. “So you’re saying there are times when you use it as a term of endearment? Like how some humans have those, uhh… oh! They have pet names for one another.”

Crowley glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and mumbled, “What exactly are you asking me?”

Aziraphale averted his gaze. He didn’t know why something like this would be difficult. It was just a silly question after all. It had to be the alcohol’s fault. He’d absolutely be able to voice his question without issue if he was sober. As soon as he thought it he knew it was a lie. He simply gave in and did his best not to sound nervous as he replied, “Well, I suppose I’m asking whether or not I’m important to you.”

“Of course you are. We’ve been friends for six thousand years, after all.” Crowley’s response was a fact that left no room for argument. It was nearly robotic. The expected response in the expected tone.

“That we have. I suppose it’s rather silly to be worried about whether or not you like me if you’ve put up with me for so long, isn’t it?” Aziraphale chuckled nervously and swirled the rest of his wine in his glass. He stared at the red liquid that continued to spin even after he stopped moving it.

“Have I ever done anything to indicate that I didn’t like you?” Crowley asked.

“Several times, yes. You’re a notorious prankster considering you invented the concept.” Aziraphale nodded to himself. He didn’t remember them all but there were a few that stood out over the years.

“OK the stuff from the first couple centuries doesn’t count,” Crowley declared. Things had been different back then. That was common enough knowledge. Boredom had lead to him doing all kinds of outrageous things for a cheap thrill.

“Doesn’t it, though?” Aziraphale asked as an awkward smile spread across his face. There had been some rough patches between them over the years in which he had no idea if they’d even talk again. Yet they always seemed to end up in this exact situation. Drinking together, joking together, simply being together. What did it all mean? He was sure he had no idea.

Crowley turned to look at him. His voice was soft yet completely serious as he said, “Tell me what’s really bothering you, angel.”

“Oh. Well…” Aziraphale trailed off and hoped that his face wasn’t nearly as red as he thought it was. Or perhaps it’d be mistaken for alcohol induced blush. Yes, that could work.

“ _Aziraphale_.” Crowley’s tone said that he was getting impatient with all this.

“It’s just… the thought of you calling me angel in an affectionate way makes me want to… well…” His voice trailed off. He couldn’t say if it was bravery brought on by drinking or perhaps a dam thousands of years in the making had finally broken within him. He’d been in denial for a very long time, with good reason of course. Right now, he couldn’t recall any of those reasons. There was only one thing he wanted to do. It was a strong temptation indeed.

He turned towards Crowley and quickly closed the distance between them. Their lips met in a surprisingly sweet kiss, probably because a certain demon was too surprised to react. The soft brush of their lips was as wonderful as he imagined it would be. It sent a wave of nearly overwhelming affection coursing through him. What a rush. He could finally understand why humans were so fond of this kind of thing. Aziraphale broke the kiss and sighed, “It makes me want to do that.”

“Angel…” Crowley’s voice was so soft it was barely audible.

Aziraphale’s eyes widened and he quickly turned his head so that they were no longer facing one another. The silence that followed was nearly deafening. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’d done the wrong thing. He probably had. It was a foolish thing to act without thinking like that. Or with thinking too much. He didn’t know. A mix of both, probably. The one thing he did know to be true was that it had been foolish. He squeezed his hands into fists and was about to apologize when he felt something lightly brush against his left cheek. His stomach did a little flip flop as he turned to look at the demon next to him.

“I’ve waited countless centuries for you to do that,” Crowley admitted. His knuckles brushed against Aziraphale’s cheek as he let his hand fall away from him.

“Really?” Aziraphale gasped. All these years and he’d thought that what he’d tried his hardest not to feel had been unrequited. Though that did raise further questions. He couldn’t hide the shock in his voice as he asked, “If that’s true why didn’t you take the initiative and do it yourself?”

“And risk scaring you off into hiding for Satan knows how many years? I’d be bored as heaven if that happened!” Crowley exclaimed. He’d have to be a crazy person to willingly bring about his own boredom like that.

Aziraphale couldn’t deny that sounded pretty accurate. That certainly wouldn’t have been the first time one of them disappeared for an undetermined amount of time without telling the other. Though perhaps it was the first time either of them had admitted avoiding it on purpose. Everything may have been out in the open but he still found himself at a loss. Aziraphale averted his gaze and muttered, “So what now?”

“Now that the first one is out of the way, I guess we could always go for another,” Crowley suggested as casually as possible. He lowered his glasses to watch the angel carefully over the top of them as he added, “Unless you don’t want to, of course.”

“I’m pretty sure– no, I’m _certain_ that I do.” The accompanying nod to his declaration made it that much more significant. He knew there was no coming back from such an admission. Just as he knew he didn’t want to take it back.

Crowley tossed the wine bottle he held over the back of the couch. It clanked loudly against the others that were already on the floor. Then he snapped his fingers so the wine glasses they each held disappeared as well. He’d made sure those were set safely on the nearby table instead of carelessly discarded. He removed his sunglasses and said, “Ready when you are, angel.”

“Oh. Right. OK.” Aziraphale scooted a bit closer to him, very aware of the amused look he wore. There was no real reason to be nervous about something like this now that he knew they both wanted it. Still, it wasn’t such an easy habit to break. He turned towards Crowley and noticed that he still had that ridiculous amused look upon his face. The demon was getting quite a kick out of watching how flustered he was. Well, Aziraphale could certainly change that.

He put his right hand on Crowley’s cheek. It was warm, but that wasn’t anything new. Aziraphale’s gaze fell to his lips. He leaned closer, albeit a bit hesitantly. He left just enough time for any protests to be heard if they suddenly came up. None did. Instead, he was met halfway. What an exhilarating feeling it was to kiss the one being that had meant everything to him for far too long. Their lips seemed to fit together perfectly, as if it was always meant to be this way. Part of Aziraphale was left to wonder why they hadn’t done this before. Though the answer was obvious enough.

He kept his eyes shut as he broke the kiss. The feeling of contentment that engulfed him was quite wonderful. Had he known such a thing would happen after a simple kiss he might’ve opted to give it a try sooner. Maybe. He opened his eyes and smiled at his favorite demon. He adjusted his position on the couch a bit then laid his head upon Crowley’s shoulder. He couldn’t help but let out a content sigh when he felt a hand take his and squeeze. This was nice.

There was silence as they both sat there and let what just happened sink in. It was hard to fathom after so many years of daydreaming about this exact situation. Who knew that it’d be on a miserable, stormy day that their hearts’ desires would come to fruition? Even after so long it seemed that the universe could still surprise them.

“I wonder. Should I try and think of a pet name for you too?” Aziraphale wondered as he ran his thumb along the back of Crowley’s hand. He made a mental note about how amazing it was that such a simple thing could make him so happy. He’d suggest they hold hands more often from now on.

“Nah, you’d be rubbish at it,” Crowley replied as he scrunched his face.

“Oh, come on. Let me give it a try. OK, how about snake-eyes?” Aziraphale’s own eyes widened and he gestured with both hands to add a bit of pizzazz to the suggestion.

“That’s more of an observation about my physical appearance, or a human gambling term.” Not that he was against gambling. He'd done his fair share of tempting humans in casinos and was rather fond of the game. The term didn’t quite work for this, though.

“That’s no good, then. Hmm... I don’t suppose ‘wiggles’ would work either.” Aziraphale was thinking out loud at this point.

Crowley shook his head then snorted, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Aziraphale didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was quite wiggly even though he wasn’t in his snake form anymore. Something as simple as walking was still reminiscent of the days when the demon had to slither to get around. He was actually quite fond of it. That’d have to stay his little secret. A thought occurred to him and he had to hold back a gasp. It couldn’t be that simple, could it? Only one way to find out. He cleared his throat and then muttered, “Well what about… my dear…?”

After a brief pause Crowley turned to look at him. He waited until Aziraphale tilted his head to look up at him before he reacted. The corner of his mouth curled upwards in a smirk and he hummed, “You know what? I don’t actually hate that.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to Aziraphale calling Crowley variants of 'my dear' in the book! Should’ve been in the show at least once oof 
> 
> i cant say i expected to be writing for this fandom but here we are.... the series was just that amazing??? so inspiring??? i cant handle how much i loved it??? i want to watch it on a loop -screams-
> 
> these two winged dorks are so ridiculous. the most insane slow burn ever oh god... theyre so in loveeee
> 
> theyre soft and it makes me soft <3


End file.
